Inevitability
by Coutuva
Summary: Times change, and people do too - unless you happen to be one of the most notorious misfits to walk the Earth. Then, all bets are off. A short one-shot based on a 'what-if' inspired by events in the Anime.


As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.  
This is not my Character or Backstory, but everyone already knows that.

Please Enjoy!  
Coutuva.

Inevitability xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was happening again.

As it always seemed to.

She had to wonder if it wasn't some sort of twisted legacy that followed those who had chosen the path less travelled.

As she stood by the window of her shop, looking out over the commotion in the streets, she huffed at the thought. With her history however, the idea had merit.

With a restrained, angry growl, she turned away from the window and walked behind the shop counter, knowing that she likely wouldn't get any customers this day. Not that she got all that many anyway.

Her wares were at best, somewhat unique, and more often sold to curiosity seekers or history buffs. She'd noticed that over the last millennia or so, the demand for such items had waned considerably, an unfortunate side effect of man's progress out of the dark ages.

Or as she called them, the good old days.

As she swung herself up onto her stool, she caught her reflection in the glass of the countertop, and stared at it for a long moment.

A youthful, pretty face stared back, the same one that had for more years than she could remember. A smirk crossed it as she recalled how she used to worry about getting fat and ugly in her old age.

And about ever reaching such an age.

But, as her original friends began to succumb to the bane of a mortal existence, she realized that her chosen lifestyle had gifted her with an unexpected benefit. Although at times,  
she could have debated that term.

At first, she'd taken advantage of the circumstance, and wandered the expanding world. She'd found some adventure, some excitement, and even managed to avoid being too bored - for a time.

Adventure, however, became a wily quarry, as man left behind the superstitions and fears of old, and settled into 'civilization'. That meant that the skills and talents she had honed over the ages gradually became a liability.

So, as she had so often, she improvised. She tried to lead her life as dictated by the changing times, but it always seemed as if something would happen; something that would force her to reveal herself, often at the cost of whatever life she had made.

And it was happening all over again.

Her thoughtful mask became a frown.

She recalled how two centuries earlier, when she'd arrived in the small hamlet she now called home, it was little more than a collection of hovels, nestled in a mountain pass. The dozen or so families that made it up had welcomed her with open arms, something she had found refreshing.

Taking their hospitality as it came, she had intended to do as she was accustomed; stay a fortnight or so, and then perhaps resume the aimless wandering that helped fill the time.

But, she soon found that the placid, hilly countryside,  
friendly people and unhurried lifestyle appealed to her time and travel-wearied soul, so she decided to stay a little longer.

It turned out to be one of her wiser decisions.

In the years that followed, she'd met an incredible,  
selfless, dedicated man, and before long, fell deeply in love - for only the second time in her long, solitary life. She married him, and with him lived a more idyllic, beautiful life than she felt she deserved - especially after they'd made the discovery that broke her heart.

She was barren.

The very circumstance that had allowed her body to continuously regenerate - thereby lengthening her life - had revealed its exacted price.

But her tears at that espial had not lasted long, as her loving, generous husband offered the kind of solution that only he could. To ease her regret at being unable to give him heirs, he put forth that they seek out waifs and foundlings - and raise them as their own.

To her surprise, the idea not only worked, but ended up establising a new and rewarding direction for their lives.

She still chuckled at how many of the city's people called her 'Mom' or 'Gramma' or derivatives thereof.

At that moment, the old wooden door to the shop opened noisily, and admitted a young, exuberant, auburn-haired girl.  
"Hi, Mom!" the child chimed, as she ran around the counter and glomped onto her legs.

"Hi, kiddo!" she smiled back, as she knelt to return the hug. "School out already?"

"Yeah! They let us go early 'cause of the meeting!"

"Meeting? What meeting?"

"The one about the War!"

Her heart sank. "Were they talking about it at School?"

The child's eyes widened as she nodded. "Emma said her dad said the bad guys might take our houses away 'cause we're a strat-jik point or something!"

The concern shimmering in the little girl's bright brown eyes sent a twinge through her chest. "Yeah - figures. Don't you worry about it, Alina. Nobody's gonna take anything from us," she smiled, running her fingers through the child's windswept locks. "That, I promise you. You go straighten your room, then wash up for supper. Mommy... Has to go out back for a minute."

The little girl's bright smile returned. "Kay! Just be fast! I'm starved!" she responded, then dashed away to the stairs.

She had to smile at her latest daughter's antics, but the smile soon faded. As it fell into a resigned frown, she rose,  
sighed, and went to lock up.

A short, emotional walk later, she arrived at the crest of a small rise. The rise looked out over a large clearing, itself enclosed by a low white fence.

Reverently, she stepped up to the ornate white gate, and stood for a moment in silent, respectful prayer. She then opened the gate and moved gently beyond it, stepping carefully past the rows of crude stone monuments.

Monuments to some of her many children.

At the end of the narrow walk, she came to the foot of a simple craven stone cross, set there at the behest of the man laid beneath it.

Her heart rose to her throat as she knelt before it,  
closed her eyes, meshed her hands in her lap and lowered her face.

"Papa... I hope you can forgive me, but I... May have to reveal our secret," she began, her voice just above a whisper. "And I pray that when we meet again... You won't hate me for it. I... I just can't let this happen, no matter what it costs me. I have to protect our family," she added brokenly, a tear landing in the cold earth at her knee.

xxxxxxx

Only three days later, the word raced through the city like the waves of tsunami. They were coming, and nothing seemed able to stop them. The people of the Capital had fought as long as they could, but against the superior arms, numbers and planes of the enemy, they had fallen quickly.

And at last report, that enemy was now headed North; it would only be a matter of hours.

She sighed sadly at the silence of the streets below her home, her heart tight in her chest. It was not the pending threat that concerned her, but the consequences of dealing with it.

But she knew she couldn't care.

Doing nothing would cost her far more.

With a sniff and a wipe at her eyes, she turned away from the distressing sight and walked back to her rooms. Her daughter was waiting for her lunch.

After a long, tense, fearful day, she was relieved when darkness finally fell, and there had still been no sign of the coming attack. The city had mustered every available man, and their presence at the city edge would have made her plans difficult in the light of day.

Upon deciding the time was right, she called her neighbour to come over, on the premise that she had to secure some valuables outside the house. She then padded into her daughter's room, and knelt beside the slumbering child's bed.

"I love you, Alina," she whispered, as she pulled the blankets up to the little one's chin. Her hand still lingering on the child's chest, she leaned up and gently kissed her forehead, then rose and padded to the door. There, she paused,  
looked back, then lowered her head and sighed. "And I always will, honey... No matter what you'll think of me by the morning,"  
she added silently, then drew a heavy sigh and slowly closed the door.

In solitude and silence she walked to the edge of the city, and sat out of sight on some rocks at the top of the valley wall. Her eyes misted at the sight of the men, young and old,  
manning the crude barricade on the main road. It reminded her that not one person had left the city, everyone having vowed to defend it to the end.

That knowledge, and the mere fact that she recognized so many of the dimly-lit faces, served only to strengthen her resolve.

As she returned her gaze to the distant horizon, that resolve began to build into more anger than she'd felt in centuries. For that, and for what he was about to cost her, she vowed that she was going to send this 'Hitler' a message he'd never forget.

A few moments later, she saw movement in the distance.

At almost the same second, a call to arms rang out to the men at the barricade.

Her eyes narrowed. "Showtime."

Face grim, she rose and stepped atop the rock she'd been sitting on, then set her sights on the advancing horde. With a deep, cleansing breath, she crossed her arms over her chest, closed her burning eyes, and spoke the words she swore would never pass her lips again.

"Darkness beyond Twilight; Crimson beyond blood that flows..."

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Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinguished! 


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